The current crop are all doing their bit now, and have tended to fire in welcoming spurts.

O’Connor was the pick of the lot early season (five goals), then Jerome stepped to the fore (five goals), McFadden’s performances have raised recently and Bent has been in the groove of late (two goals in four games). As for Phillips (10 goals), well he just keeps ticking over with a goal here and there consistently in that inimitable way of his.

McLeish can also slot McFadden and Jerome on the flank to provide more attacking oomph when need be as well.

At the moment, the men in possession are the men to take some shifting.

McLeish commented: “We’ve got the balance up front. It’s looking at the moment like Cameron and or Benty, with Phillips a certain starter.

‘‘I’m not so sure that our pairing up of other players has worked for us as well as they have when Phillips has been in the team.”

Jerome’s energising cameo as a substitute – another goal, this time a sumptuous curler – means he’s hammering at the door.

McLeish added: “Bent scored as well, so what do you do?

“Bring Cameron in ahead of Bent?

“The big fella has just got to be patient.”

If at one end Blues are finding their way, at the other the back door has been left swinging on its hinges for a few weeks.

Blues, with Martin Taylor back in for the ill Liam Ridgewell and getting into the swing again slowly, started in some disarray and were a goal down to Tamas Priskin’s sixth-minute effort, a follow-up to his own header that was well parried.

But 120 seconds later Phillips drifted off his marker and despatched a fine header from Nicky Hunt’s cross, then Bent rifled a low left-footer from the edge of the penalty area to put Blues in charge on 18 minutes.

Blues settled down and found their rhythm and kept their shape to the interval, then tended to relax and in the second-half Watford came at them with more urgency. Jerome’s introduction in the 73rd minute sparked Blues.

His addition as important as a key save by Taylor that stopped Radhi Jaidi putting through his own goal. Jerome had a ‘goal’ disallowed after barrelling his way through the Watford defence – Adrian Mariappa wasn’t so much fouled but bounced off him – and then clipped a lovely shot from the left hand side that curved just inside the post

There were five minutes to go, but Blues didn’t clear a corner and Ross Jenkins lashed in to make it nervy again. Watford thought they had a stoppage-time penalty when Jaidi appeared to nudge the ball with his arm, but referee Scott Mathieson had already blown for a handball by Will Hoskins during a furious melee after Stuart Parnaby’s block tackle popped the ball back at him, and then seconds later indicated the finish of the game.

It was a confusing end – it was thought it was a Clive Thomas moment, and seven Watford players surrounded the official seeking clarification – but Blues were hardly bothered.